Director of Referees for Football Federation Australia, Mark Shield, has announced that he will not be renewing his contract beyond mid-September 2012.

In an email this morning to various stakeholders Shield advised that despite the satisfaction of being involved in football again, he has been lured away from the game by an "attractive" offer from another industry in a CEO position.

Mark will continue A-League and W-League preparations in his current position until mid-September.

Football Federation Australia has announced a new initiative in the selection and preparation of the match officials for its elite competitions, the Hyundai A-league and Westfield W-league, called the Possibles and Probables Candidates program.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) convened at the Home of FIFA in Zurich today, 5 July 2012, for a Special Meeting under the chairmanship of FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.

The first item on the agenda was goal-line technology (GLT). Following the conclusion of a nine-month test process that began in August 2011, led by EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology), the IFAB unanimously decided to approve in principle both companies that took part in Test Phase 2: GoalRef and Hawk-Eye. This approval is subject to a final installation test at each stadium before the systems can be used in “real” football matches, in accordance with the FIFA Quality Programme for GLT.

The referee in charge of the Socceroos' 1-1 draw with Japan, Khalil al-Ghamdi, has been criticised by a peer for his handling of the game.

Ghamdi is highly respected in Asian Football Confederation and FIFA refereeing circles, but his latest performance has tarnished his reputation as one of Asia's best whistle-blowers. His dismissal of Mark Milligan, controversial penalty to Australia and denying Japan the opportunity to take a late free-kick reflected poorly on his ability to officiate high-profile matches, and could result in him being overlooked for future qualifiers.

UEFA president Michel Platini promised that referees will stop European Championship matches if players suffer abuse from fans, as questions on racism in Poland and Ukraine dominated a news conference on Wednesday to launch the tournament.

Platini said UEFA has empowered referees to "temporarily stop the game and finally cancel the game if this racism keeps rearing its head."

Concern was fueled by a British television program last week showing discrimination and violent incidents at recent club matches in the co-host nations.

Ahead of the Euro 2012 kick off on Friday, the head of a Europe-wide campaign against discrimination in football acknowledged it posed more potential problems than previous tournaments.

The 62nd FIFA Congress held on Friday in Budapest provided its full support to the professionalisation of refereeing.

FIFA has made a pledge to further improve the level of elite refereeing, specifically through the professionalisation of the preparation for the world’s top referees on the road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.

Faking injuries on the pitch could jeopardise treatment for players who suffer cardiac arrest and other life-threatening conditions, World Cup final referee Howard Webb has told a FIFA medical conference.

Webb's quick reaction when Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the field in March helped the Bolton midfielder get treatment which saved his life.

Referees' responses could be affected if players "cry wolf" too often, says Webb, who added that Muamba's recovery after his heart stopped beating on its own for 78 minutes is "an unbelievable miracle".